Fishermen will love Cuba since it is surrounded on all sides by ocean. Cuba's waters have some of the best sport fishing in the world. Although there is a large variety of edible fish near the coast, only a few species are fished for sport. Snook, tarpon, grouper, sailfish and marlin are the most popular game fish. The Hemingway Marina, west of Havana, has world-class facilities for sport fishing. There are several companies offering sport fishing. The Hemingway International Marlin Fishing Tournament is held there yearly in May or June. There are other deep-sea fishing events and tournaments throughout the year.
Cuba is dotted with numerous man-made lakes for freshwater fishing. The country's lakes teem with largemouth bass—the most popular freshwater fish. Lake Hanabanilla in the Escambray Mountain Range is one of the most famous ‘fishing holes’. The best inland fishing is found at Lake Zaza. La Redonda Lake, Laguna Grande in Pinar del Río province and Tesoro Lake in Matanzas province are also good fishing areas.
Hunting is popular in Cuba and liberal hunting laws make Cuba ideal for hunters. Pheasant, doves, quail duck, dove, quail, pheasant and the white-crowned pigeon are some of the game birds found in Cuba. In a few places big game like deer, wild pigs, wild boar, wart hogs, water buffalo and other mammals may be hunted. There are about fifteen key hunting reserves located around the island. A number can be reached quite easily from Havana. Most hunting resorts offer lodging, guides, and all types of hunting equipment. INTUR issues seasonal (October 31 to march 15) hunting permits.
Because of its hundreds of miles of limestone cave formations, Cuba is one of the best places in the world for cave exploration. Almost every province has caves. The Caves of Bellamar or Las Cuevas de Bellamar, south of the city of Matanzas, are considered the best in Cuba. They are about a mile and a half long with vaulted ceilings and beautifully colored stalagmite and stalactite formations, and under ground streams. North of the small town of Viñales is the Indian Caves or Cuevas de los Indios. This cave system may be explored on foot or by boat. At the end of the trail visitors can climb in a rowboat and follow the underground stream to the cave’s end.
Camping and hiking are other activities in which you may participate. There are campgrounds located outside of most towns, by rivers, at beach areas and mountain resorts. Hikers can find trails to explore and breath taking scenery in Cuba’s mountain ranges. The Sierra Maestra Mountains and Soroa are excellent places to explore on foot. Nature lovers, bird watchers and botanists will find a lot to see all over this tropical outdoor paradise. Horseback riding is offered at most resort areas.
Fidel Castro denounced golf as a "bourgeois" hobby and banned them, so no new golf course has been built in Cuba since the revolution
Golf lovers will find two courses — the 9-hole Havana Golf Club (Tel: 45-4578) located 10 minutes from downtown and only 5 minutes away from José Martí International Airport and the 18-hole Varadero Golf Club at Varadero. The first has a pro shop, rents high-quality clubs, has caddies, charges a $30 green fee and offers memberships at a reasonable price. The latter, located on the former Dupont summer retreat, has a clubhouse, offers caddies, golf carts and costs around $60.00 to play all 18 holes. There is little doubt that, in the future, new courses will be constructed as foreign investment helps to improve the country's infrastructure.
A few more golf courses should be built in the country in the next couple of years as more travel restrictions are lifted and the influx of Americans increases.
Club Havana (Tel: 7-204-5700) is an exclusive private member club with a clubhouse, restaurant, spa, gym, swimming pool, golf course driving range and tennis courts. This 1928 mansion was once the home of the Havana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club.
To find out about other outdoor activities that are available in type any of these terms into an Internet search: golf, fishing safaris, hunting, natural spas, nature reserves, water-skiing, underground caves and much more.
